Follow Us

Anthony and Rusty's Broadway-Inspired Brooklyn Wedding

Choose a slide

When special projects editor Anthony Luscia married his Broadway-loving beau, Russell James, they planned a boffo affair that had guests clapping, twirling, and wishing they could have danced all night.

Photography: Thayer Photographs, Inc.

1 of 40

The Couple

Anthony Luscia and Rusty James had been a couple for 16 years when they decided to get hitched. They met in Dallas, where they both went to college, and moved to New York together. Nine apartments, seven jobs, and one major piece of legislation later, Anthony turned to Rusty in an elevator and said, “Now that gay marriage is legal, should we do it?” Rusty said, “Yeah, that would be good.” They already felt married, so there was no grand gesture. But the duo knew they had a lot to celebrate; while the proposal was low-key, they made sure that the wedding was not.

During Anthony's 10-plus years as the special projects editor at Martha Stewart Weddings, he’d developed a few ideas of how he envisioned the big day. He pictured a dark, masculine color palette that would feel like a black-and-white movie. And Rusty, who’s a global director at an auditing firm, is a huge Broadway fan, so Anthony knew that would play a major role. Together (and with more than a little help from our wedding-expert friends), the leading men planned a dance- and music-filled day that would live up to their goal: They wanted their guests to be wowed.

Photography: Bryan Gardner

2 of 40

The Stationery Suite

Stationer Cheree Berry designed the paper goods, from matchboxes to the black, white, and gray foil-printed invitation suite. The backs of the save-the-dates were printed with the lyrics to Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September,” which just happened to namecheck the wedding date: September 21, 2013.

Photography: Thayer Photographs, Inc.

3 of 40

The Menswear

Anthony almost wore a white bow tie, but after a last-minute switch, the guys both sported black ties along with pocket squares from Bosie New York and cuff links from J. Hilburn. They had labels with their wedding date sewn into their suits.

Photography: Thayer Photographs, Inc.

4 of 40

A Retro Ride

The venue, 501 Union in Brooklyn, has a stable of vintage cars that they let couples use for photo ops.

Photography: Thayer Photographs, Inc.

5 of 40

Sleek Signage

Gold-and-black vinyl decals of the grooms’ initials adorned the main door to their venue, letting guests know they were in the right spot for the day's festivities.

Swipe here for next slide

Photography: Thayer Photographs, Inc.

6 of 40

Big Yellow Taxi

Friend Aileen Morgan, who sang during the reception, arrived by cab to the soirée.

Photography: Thayer Photographs, Inc.

7 of 40

The Grand Arrival

A New York City double-decker bus picked up out-of-towners and gave them a quick tour of the city before bringing them to the venue, an old body shop-turned-event space. Guests stepped off onto a red carpet and were handed playbills by an usher who invited them to “please enjoy the show.”

Photography: Thayer Photographs, Inc.

8 of 40

The Ceremony Programs

Playbill-style programs outlined the cast of characters and order of events.

Photography: Thayer Photographs, Inc.

9 of 40

The Ring Bearers

The grooms’ friends’ children donned leather jackets to act as the “rock ’n’ roll ring bearers.”

Photography: Thayer Photographs, Inc.

10 of 40

A Gift for the Little Guy

The grooms gave their “rock ’n’ roll ring bearer” a toy car that fit in perfectly with their black, white, and silver palette.

Gifts for the Girls

Musical-note necklaces from Dogeared were gifted to the young girls who participated in the ceremony.

Photography: Thayer Gowdy

13 of 40

The Ceremony

During the nondenominational ceremony (or “opening act”) officiated by friend Lisa Gahan, a pal sang a personalized rendition of “Over the Rainbow.” Anthony and Rusty also exchanged self-penned vows, with Rusty promising not to leave his gym clothes on the floor, and Anthony swearing that no matter how late he’d been out the night before, he will get up, put a smile on his face, and, with Jesus in his heart, go to brunch with his buddies.

Afterward, a choir sang Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” as they exited. “My absolute favorite part of the wedding was when the choir sang ‘Like a Prayer,’” Anthony says. “It began with all of the guests seated, watching the singers in their robes line up. But by the time we recessed, the entire room was dancing and singing at the top of their lungs.”

Photography: Thayer Gowdy

14 of 40

The Ceremony Backdrop

A Weddings colleague created a backdrop for the ceremony by cutting palm leaves in shades of gray and pinning them to canvas. The motif was inspired by the venue’s wallpaper.

Photography: Thayer Photographs, Inc.

15 of 40

The Rings

Instead of carrying a pillow, the ring bearers kept the wedding bands in a vintage cigarette case.

Swipe here for next slide

Photography: Thayer Photographs, Inc.

16 of 40

Festive Napkins

Cocktail napkins from For Your Party were foil-stamped with the phrase “Kiss a groom,” the lyrics from “September,” which celebrate the gents’ wedding date, and a quote from the musical All That Jazz.

Photography: Thayer Photographs, Inc.

17 of 40

Drinks During Intermission

Cocktails on offer included a dirty martini, a Salerno Spritz (orange liqueur and Champagne), and a manhattan made with Hudson Valley bourbon.

Everyone enjoyed an intermission with cocktail hour and passed hors d’oeuvres—until the waiters dropped their trays and kicked off a flash mob to “Let’s Have a Kiki” that had the crowd grooving into the reception room.

Photography: Thayer Photographs, Inc.

18 of 40

The Guestbook

Attendees wrote well wishes for the newlyweds in a vintage book found on eBay.

After everyone had had a chance to eat, drink, and be merry on the dance floor, all 220 guests headed outside to watch the guys attack a giant silver diamond-shaped piñata full of glow jewelry, sunglasses, and party hats. The boogying continued until the grand finale: a screening of a music video version of the party. Anthony and Rusty had hired a videographer to film the party and live-edit throughout the night. It captured the feeling of the entire affair, which was amazing and completely over the top—everything they wanted their big gay Martha Stewart wedding to be.

A Boozy Treat

During the epic reception, guests enjoyed grown-up cotton candy via Spin-Spun, which was flavored with bourbon.

Swipe here for next slide

Photography: Thayer Photographs, Inc.

36 of 40

A Sweet Ending

Friend and pastry chef Sylvia Weinstock made two chocolate buttercream–covered confections: one with chocolate on the inside for Anthony and the other with peanut butter for Rusty. “Instead of one wedding cake, we wanted two identical versions with different flavors to reflect our personalities,” Anthony says.

Cheers to the Couple

As her gift, Darcy reinterpreted the pair’s favorite drink, a vodka-soda, to give as favors. The to-go bottles were decorated with her drawings of the grooms, with their arms cut out so their likenesses could clink glasses.

Photography: Love Life images

38 of 40

The Photobooth

Guests mugged for the camera in the photo booth.

Photography: unknown

39 of 40

Apropros Props

Retro props like fedoras, martini glasses, pearls, and a cane were on hand for guests to pose with in the photo booth by Love Life Images.